Manufacture of filter-tip cigarettes



Aug. 238, 1956 A. BELL ETAL 2,760,493

MANUFACTURE OF FILTER-TIP CIGARETTES iled April 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ARTHUR BELL GEORGE DANIEL HORGAN BYT v 7 ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1956 A. BELL ETAL MANUFACTURE OF FlgLTER-TIP CIGARETTES Filed April 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ARTHUR BELL .GEORGE DANIEL HORGAN l ATTORNEY MANUFACTURE OF PETER-TIP CIGARETTES Arthur Bell and George D. Horgan, London, England, assignors to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 15, 1952, Serial No. 282,436 Claims priority, application Great Britain April 16, 1951 Claims. c1. 131-61 This invention relates to machines for use in the production of filter tip ciragettes of the kind disclosed in S. patent specification S. N. 696,206, filed September 11, 1946 (now U. S. Patent 2,604,099, granted July 22, 1952) in which sections are severed from a continuous tobacco red by a grooved rotary section or knife wheel operating in conjunction with an arcuate guard, the peripheral speed of the wheel being such that the sections are spaced to receive filter .tip sections which are transferred to a rotary transfer wheel and from such wheel to a conveyor belt in abutting relation for delivery to wrapping mechanism to form a composite rod.

It is found that tobacco shorts are liable to separate from the leading end of the tobacco sections while in the groove of the knife wheel and fall into the space to be occupied by the filter tip section, and it is the object of the present invention to provide improvements whereby such separation of shorts is prevented.

According to the invention, in a machine of the kind indicated, displaceably mounted means are provided and adapted to be inserted into the groove of the knife wheel at a position in advance of the forward end of the travelling tobacco section and is adapted to arrest any shorts tending to fall forward.

Such means are mounted in a position which is fixed in a relation to the knife wheel.

Additional means are provided which are mounted on the knife wheel and are adapted to be inserted into the groove as the previously mentioned means are wtihdrawn to allow the tobacco to pass, so that the shorts are controlled until the filter section is inserted.

The displaceable groove closing means may be actuated by relatively rotary cam means.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with a cover plate removed of a mechanism according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-section on line IIII of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic drawing which illustrates the relation between the improved mechanism and the tobacco stream and the composite tobacco and filter tip rod.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient mode by Way of example, the grooved knife wheel or drum 1, which is of a construction suitable to sever five sections or slugs of tobacco rod each revolution, is provided with five equally angularly spaced knives located in radial grooves 2 in the drum and are adapted to be projected across the groove to sever a section or slug of tobacco by cam controlled means as described and shown in the specification referred to. These knives remain in position at the rear end of the tobacco section to space the section from the tobacco rod until the filter tip section is inserted and the tobacco slug and filter tip section are being transferred to the transfer Wheel 3 when the knife is Withdrawn.

It is convenient that the tobacco slug while under control of the knife drum moves about 90 degrees from about rates Patent l2-oclock position to 9 oclock position where it is transferred to a lateral disposed transfer drum 3.

At a position about 45 degrees from the vertical, a main blade 4 is mounted on a pivoted lever 5 so as to lie radial to the knife drum 1. The blade 4 forms a stop element and is adapted to be projected into the groove 6 of the drum 1 in advance of the leading edge of a slug of tobacco.

For this purpose the drum 1 is provided with a cam 7 having five surfaces 7a which engage a roller 8 carried by a radial arm 9 pivotally connected to the blade lever 5 which is spring biased by spring 10 to hold the roller 8 on the cam. The cam 7a thus holds the main blade 4 out of the groove 6 and the spring means 10 move it into the groove as the roller 8 moves down the cam 70.

It will be appreciated that this main blade 4 will be actuated in turn for each knife mounted in the drum.

in order to provide the appropriate length and setting of the cam surfaces "M an adjustable cam plate 7b is provided having cam surfaces '70.

The main blade 4 will prevent shorts falling from the leading end of a tobacco slug .into the space for the filter tip section because as the leading end of the slug engages with blade 4 any shorts tending to fall out will be pushed back into place.

As the main blade 4 has to be withdrawn to allow the tobacco slug to pass before the filter tip section is mounted it is necessary to provide an additional control for the shorts.

This is provided by the provision of travelling auxiliary blades 11 on the drum, one for each drum knife, which blades in turn take over from the main blade 4 and are projected into the drum groove 6 as the main blade 4 is withdrawn. Thus the tobacco slug or length is maintained intact between the knives extending out from grooves 2 and the auxiliary blades 11.

The travelling auxiliary blades 11 are carried by mountings 12 which are pivotally mounted on the drum 1 the blades being located in radial slots 13 from one face of the drum. The mountings 12 for the travelling auxiliary blades 11 are provided with rollers 14 adapted to engage a fixed cam 15 having five cams 15a. The travelling auxiliary blades ill are provided with a cut-out part 16 conforming to the groove 6 on the drum and compression spring means 1'7 are provided for pivoting the mounting 12 to a position in which the blade lies across the groove when the roller 14 runs down the fixed cam 15a.

Each travelling auxiliary blade 11 is spaced from its associated knife a distance equal to a filter section length plus a working clearance of 2 to 3 millimeters.

The lever 5 is conveniently mounted on the arcuate plate 18 associated with the drum 1 and this plate and the arcuate plate 19 of the transfer drum 3 are recessed at 18a and 19a to accommodate the mounting 4a of the main blade 4.

By means of the travelling auxiliary blades 11 control of the shorts is maintained until the filter section has been inserted into the space provided between a tobacco slug and the cutting knife and the travelling blades 11. After insertion of the filter section, the travelling auxiliary blades 11 move out of the groove in substantially the same position where retraction of the knife takes place.

As illustrated in the diagrammatic showing in Figure 3, the tobacco rod 21) travels in the direction of the arrow x beneath a compression wheel 21 over a bridge piece to the groove of the knife drum 1, and filter tip sections 22 are delivered by the transfer drum 3 into the spaces between two tobacco sections 20a and Zitb severed from the tobacco rod at the position y. The tobacco sections are then transferred to the grooved arcuate plate 24 from which the composite rod travels on to the usual wrapping, folding and severing means (not shown). In

the arrangement illustrated the tobacco and filter tip sections are of double length.

The invention hereinbefore described may be varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What we claim is:

1. la a machine for making filter-tip cigarettes each having a tobacco length and a filter plug, means for transforming a tobacco rope into a plurality of spaced tobacco lengths, comprising a rotatable member, means for feeding a tobacco rope along a predetermined path at a uniform speed to the rotatable member, movable cutting means mounted on and traveling with the rotatable member for severing tobacco lengths from the leading end of said tobacco rope, a drive for said rotatable member to move the rotatable member at a faster speed than the speed at which tobacco rope is fed thereto to provide a gap between the trailing end of the tobacco length and the leading end of the tobacco rope, a gate positioned adjacent the path of travel of said rotatable member and arranged to be moved into position in front of each tobacco length to obstruct the forward end of the tobacco length and thereby restrain any tobacco particles from falling out from the leading end of the tobacco length,

a transfer wheel for receiving said tobacco lengths from said rotatable member, means for withdrawing said gate from the leading end of said filter when the movable cutting means reach a predetermined position with respect to said gate to allow said tobacco length to be delivered to said transfer wheel, means for guiding and conveying a filter plug behind each length of filler after it has been transferred to said transfer wheel, and means for re ceiviug and making said plugs and lengths of filler into a composite rod.

2. In a machine for making filter-tip cigarettes each having a tobacco length and a filter plug, means for transforming a tobacco rope into a plurality of spaced tobacco lengths, comprising a rotatable member, means for feeding a tobacco rope along a predetermined path at a uniform speed to the rotatable member, movable cutting means mounted on and traveling with the rotatable member for severing tobacco lengths from the leading end of said tobacco rope, a drive for said rotatable membar to move the rotatable member at a faster speed than the speed at which tobacco rope is fed thereto to provide a gap between the trailing end of the tobacco length and the leading end of the tobacco rope, a gate positioned adjacent the path of travel of said rotatable member and arranged to be moved into position in front of each tobacco length to obstruct the forward end of the tobacco length and thereby restrain any tobacco from falling out from the leading end of the tobacco length, means for withdrawing said gate from the leading end of said filler when the movable cutting means reach a predetermined position with respect to said gate, a retaining member movable in front of said tobacco length when said gate is withdrawn, said retaining member being mounted on said rotatable member for travel therewith a predetermined distance spaced from said cutting means, a trans- "er wheel for receiving said tobacco lengths from said rotatable member, means for withdrawing said retaining member and said cutting means, means for guiding and conveying a filter plug up behind each length of filler after it has been transferred to said transfer wheel, and means for receiving and forming said plugs and lengths of filler into a composite rod.

3. In a machine for making filter tip cigarettes each having a tobacco length and a filter plug, a rotatable carrier, a rotary conveyor for feeding tobacco lengths individually in spaced end-to-end relation to the carrier, whereby filter plugs may be fed to the carrier so that each filter plug will be positioned between the adjacent ends of two tobacco lengths, a gate positioned adjacent the path of travel of said rotary conveyor, means for moving said gate into the path of travel of each tobacco length as it is carried by said rotary conveyor to stop the leading end of said length from moving past said gate to restrain the tobacco particles from falling out of the leading end of said tobacco length, means for withdrawing said stationary gate out of contact with the leading end of said tobacco length when the rotary conveyor has travelled a predetermined distance past said gate, a secondary member travelling with said rotary con veyor for engaging with the leading end of said tobacco length to support the leading end of each length until it is delivered to said carrier, and means for delivering filter plugs in between said tobacco lengths during rotation of said carrier.

4. A machine for making filter plug cigarettes comprising a source of cigarette filler arranged in the form of a rope, a rotary member having a groove along its periphery for receiving said filler, a confining plate sur rounding a portion of the path of travel of said groove, reciprocabie knives carried by said rotary member for severing the leading end of said rope into individual lengths, a gate mounted adjacent the groove of said memher and adapted to move into said groove in advance of each cigarette length to engage with the leading end of said cigarette length to prevent tobacco particles from falling out from said cigarette length, a transfer Wheel for receiving said lengths of cigarette filler from said grooved wheel, means for withdrawing said gate from said groove to allow said lengths of cigarette filler to be delivered to said transfer wheel, means for forwarding filter plugs with said transfer Wheel up against the trailing length of each length of cigarette filler delivered to said transfer wheel, and means for receiving a composite rodof cigarette filler and plugs from said transfer wheel.

5. A filter tip making machine comprising a rotary grooved knife-carrying drum, means delivering a continuous rod of unwrapped tobacco to the groove of said drum, radial knives carried by said drum, means extending said knives to sever a length of tobacco from the leading end of said rod, a gate mounted adjacent to the periphery of said knife carrying drum, means moving said gate into said groove in advance of the leading end of the severed tobacco length to stop tobacco from passing by said gate so as to cause any tobacco particles falling out from the leading end of said cigarette length of tobacco to be pushed back into the cigarette length, a conveyor onto which said lengths of tobacco are delivered from said knife carrying drum, means for interposing a filter plug in between said lengths of cigarette filler as it is delivered onto said conveyor and means for withdrawing said gate prior to the delivery of said cigarette lengths onto said conveyor.

6. In a machine for making filter tip cigarettes each.

having a tobacco length and a filter plug, a carrier, means for feeding a tobacco rope to the carrier, retractable knives for severing a tobacco length from the leading end of the tobacco rope and for separating the tobacco length thus severed from the rope by lengthwise movement in order to effect successive delivery of the separated tobacco lengths from the carrier to said rotatable member, said carrier having a smooth peripheral groove and being driven to rotate continuously at a uniform peripheral speed greater than the speed at which tobacco rope is fed thereto, an arcuate guard covering a part of the periphery of said carrier, a gate mounted adjacent said carrier and movable into the path of travel of the leading end of the severed length of filler to obstruct t the forward movement of each severed length of filler as .it is advanced by said severing knife up against said gate to restrain tobacco shreds from falling out of the leading end of each severed length, a second member mounted on and travelingwith said carrierfor engaging with the leading end of said filler length when the gate is withdrawn to restrain the tobacco shreds from falling out of the leading end of said filler, a transfer wheel for receiving said lengths of filler from said carrier, means mounted on said transfer member for forwarding a filter plug behind each length of cigarette filler received from said carrier, and a collecting tape for receiving a composite rod of alternately arranged lengths of cigarette filler and plugs from said transfer wheel.

7. In a machine for making filter tip cigarettes each having a tobacco length and a filter plug, a rotatable member, means for feeding tobacco rope continuously to the rotatable member, said rotatable member being adapted to rotate at a uniform speed greater than that at which tobacco rope is fed thereto, radially extending knives movable with the rotatable member about the axis of rotation thereof to sever a tobacco length from said fed tobacco rope and positively move said severed tobacco length along with the rotatable member to provide a gap between the trailing end of the tobacco length and the severed leading end of the tobacco rope, said gap being of a length greater than a filter plug, a gate positioned adjacent the path of travel of said rotatable member to move into the path of travel of the leading end of each tobacco length to cause tobacco particles in the leading end of each tobacco length to be maintained from falling out of the leading end of the cigarette length by engagement therewith, means for withdrawing said gate after the tobacco particles have been pushed back into the cigarette length, means traveling with said rotatable member and movable into position in front of the leading end of said tobacco length as soon as the gate member is withdrawn to support the ends of said length of filler between said knives and said means on said rotatable member, a rotatable carrier the peripheral surface of which is substantially tangential to the peripheral surface of the rotatable member for receiving the spaced tobacco lengths from the rotatable carrier, means for feeding filter plugs individually to the carrier near the point of tangency between the carrier and the rotatable member to position a filter plug in a gapbetween the adjacent end of two tobacco lengths, and means for receiving the composite rod of cigarette lengths and filter plugs from said rotatable carrier.

8. A machine for making filter tip cigarettes comprising a knife-carrying wheel having a groove formed around the periphery thereof, means for feeding a continuous rod of cigarette tobacco to said groove at a predetermined rate of speed, means for driving said knife-carrying wheel at a faster rate than the rate at which the cigarette rod is fed thereto as to form a gap between each severed length of cigarette filler and the severed end of the cigarette rod, a stationary gate positioned to move into said groove in advance of the leading end of the severed length of cigarette filler to effect a compaction at the end thereof due to the advancing action of said knifecarrying wheel, means for withdrawing said gate out of engagement with the leading end of said cigarette filler after the leading end has been compacted as desired, a holding device traveling with said knife-carrying wheel for engaging with the compacted end of said cigarette length and supporting said cigarette length between said knife and said holding device when said step is withdrawn, a traveling member for receiving said lengths of cigarette filler from said knife-carrying wheel and a device for positioning a filter plug in advance of each compressed length of cigarette filler prior to its delivery to said traveling member.

9. A machine for making filter plug cigarettes comprising a rotating knife-carrying wheel having a groove formed along the periphery thereof for receiving a rope of cigarette filler, a transfer wheel tangentially arranged with respect to said knife-carrying wheel for receiving lengths of cigarette filler from said knife-carrying Wheel, a source of supply of cigarette filler arranged in the form of a rope for delivery to the groove of said knife-carrying wheel, means for actuating said knives serially to effect a severance of the leading end of said rope as it is carried around said knife-carrying wheel, a non-traveling gate mounted adjacent said knife-carrying wheel and movable into said groove to provide an obstruction to the forward movement of said severed length of cigarette rod as it is advanced by said severing knife and knifecarrying wheel to prevent tobacco particles from falling out of the severed length of rod by engaging with the end of the length of tobacco, means for moving said gate out of the groove when the tobacco particles in the leading end of the tobacco length have been put in place, a second gate traveling with said knife-Wheel movable into the place in said groove when said first gate is Withdrawn to maintain said length of cigarette rod in tact, means for advancing individual filter plugs with said transfer wheel to position a filter plug in advance of each length of cigarette rod, and a collecting tape for receiving alternately arranged cigarette plugs and lengths of cigarette filler to form the same into a composite cigarette rod.

10. Means for advancing a continuous rope of cigarette filler, a wheel having a groove in its periphery for receiving and forwarding the leading end of said rope around a predetermined path of travel, knives mounted radially on said wheel for severing a length of cigarette filler from the leading end of said rope and remaining in engagement with the trailing end of the severed length as it is forwarded by said wheel around a curved path of travel, a gate for obstructing the leading end of the severed length of rope to prevent tobacco from falling out of the leading end of the rod, a second gate, traveling with said wheel and movable into position to take the place of said first mentioned gate after it is withdrawn to continue the support of the leading end of the severed cigarette filler, means for positioning a filter plug in front of each length of cigarette filler, and a collecting tape for receiving said filter plugs and compressed lengths of cigarette filler to form the same into a continuous composite rod of alternately arranged cigarette plugs and lengths of cigarette filler.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Edwards Ian. 5, 1937 Policansky July 22, 1952 

